Air-compressing means



Sept. 18,- 1923. 1,468,282

J. C. COULOMBE AIR COMPRESSING MEANS Filed Jan. 5, 1918 Patent Sept. 18,1923.

mm o. COULOMBE, or Dancer, MASSACHUSETTS.

m-oomrnnssme iamns.

' Application filed January 5, 191a Serial No. 210,504.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH C. COULOMBE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dracut, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Compressing Means, of which the following is a specification.

y invention relates to improvements in air compressors and air injectingmeans; and the objects of my improvements-are, first, to provide asimple and compact air pump; second, to provide means of utilizingairinjection in conjunction with an air pump to produce air pressureeconomically.

I attain these ObjBCtS by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing.

It is a well known fact that the greatest heat loss in compressing airoccurs at the lower air pressure sta e. That is, in com-. pressing airt6 say. 90 pounds pressure, as much power is required to compress thefirst pounds pressure as is required to compress -the remaining 60pounds pressure, approxi- 25 mately. It is also a well known fact thatair can be induced into a tank under pressure by a stream of air underpressure passing through a nozzle,

jectors.

80- What I propose to do is to connect the intake valve of an aircompressor to an air tank containing compressed air, compressing thisair to a still higher pressure and passing this higher'pre'ssure througha nozzle, in-

'ducing atmospheric air with it and discharging into the said air tank.1

go a step further in this process to secure further economy, and providea method of'pre-heating this higher compressed air an after it leaves'the compressor and before it passes through the nozzle, to increase thevolume. 4

Any number of compounding coinbinations can be arranged, but referablyuse the as combination of compoun ing shown and hereinafter described.

The single figure is a diagrammatic representation of my invention.

1 is an air tank maintained at a compara- 5 tively low pressure, say 30ounds; which.

' delivers its air through pipe l ne 2 to the intake of low-compressioncylinders 3 and 4;- a pipe line 5 connects the exhaust of cylinders" 3and 1 with intercooler 6 and preheater 7; 8 is the injector nozzle oftank 1; 9 is a similar to steam boiler in- I check valve through whichthe atmospheric a 1r is supplied to injector nozzle 8; a plpe llne 10connects intercool'er 6 with the intake of high pressure cylinders 11and 12; a pipe line 13 connects the exhaust of high ressure cylinderslland 12 with preheater 14; pipe line 15 connects intercooler-G withinector nozzle 16 of tank 17 which is maintained at a working pressureof sa 90 pounds; 38 is the outlet pipe line of tan 17;

Preheaters 7 and 14 are supplied withv steam for heating by pipe lines18 and 19,

' respectively.

. The low pressure cylinders 3 and 4 terminate in flanges 20 and 21which are bolted together by bolts 22. A hollow duplex-compound pistonis used, in which the large central part23 o erates in cylinders 3 and4, v its smaller en s 24 and 25 operating in cylinders 11 and 12. Thesaid piston is operated by drive-shaft 26, crank 27 and connecting rod28. The large portion 23 of the piston is provided with diametricallyopposed clearance slots 2!} to clear drive shaft 26,. and diametrically\opposed slots 30.to allow oscillations of connecting rod 28 during thereciprocal movement of the piston. This construction has severaladvantages. First, the crank-case is eliminated, as the large portion ofthe pistonserves that purpose. Second, one crank and one connect ingrod' taking the place of four. Third, one piston taking the place offour. and givlng at least three times as much longitudinal bearing.

I have shown a duplex-compound compressor as that shows more clearlytowhat extent this construction can be carried ou t, but it is evidentthat the construction is equally applicable to a plain duplex or doubleacting compressor; a simple .compound compressor, as would be if thedrawmg were cut off at line XX; or as a plain simple compressorWltllOlltrlll'lG compound or double-acting feature.

The operation is as follows: In starting the mechanism, there being noair pressure in tanks land 17 ,air at atmospheric ressure is drawn intocylinders 3 and 4. rom pipe line .2, tank 1 and check valve .9,compressing this air and discharging it into tank 1 through pipe line 5and nozzle 8 until tank 1. has attained .required pressure, say 30ounds. Then the contmuous operation ollows. Cylinders 3 and 4-the eafterin ake 0 air at pounds pressure and dischar e it, at say pounds, to pipeline 5; part 0 this air going to interoooler 6 and part to preheater :7,continuing on through nozzle 8, inducing atmospheric air through checkvalve 9 and forcing it into tank 1. Part of this air in intercooler 6goes through pipe line 10 and into intake of cylinders 11 and 12, whereit is compressed, to say 120 pounds, and exhausted through pipe line 13,into preheater 14, through nozzle 16, inducing air from intercooler 6through pi e line 15, and into tank 17, at say poun s. From tank 17 thisair is led to do work through pipe line 38.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In" air compressing means, tion of a (pump; a reservoir; tween saireservoir and the intake of said pump; connection between the exhaust ofsaidpump and said reservoir; an air injector in said exhaust connection;and means ior heating the air of said 'exhaustfconneetion before itenters said injectorx JOSEPH c. eon-Lor ne] the combina- Witnesses '3.D. Commune, i Hnnnn'r.

connection be-

